Tropical Storm Claudette - August 15-18,
2009A tropical wave crossed the tropical Atlantic during early to
mid August. By early on the 14th, an upper
level low began to interact with the wave, increasing
convection. By the 15th, a mid-level circulation
formed in association with the convective mass, which crossed the
Florida Keys into the eastern Gulf of
Mexico, eventually spawning a surface low by early on the 16th, when it
was classified as a tropical
depression. A reconnaissance aircraft on its way out to Ana
flew through the depression, which led to its
upgrade to a tropical storm later that morning. As Claudette
reached the Gulf coast, vertical wind shear
displaced the bulk of its thunderstorm activity to the south of the
center, similar to Tropical
Storm Gabrielle's
approach to North Carolina in 2007. The circulation quickly
generated after it made landfall on the 17th,
completely dissipating within 24 hours.

Below are the storm total graphics for Claudette. Data was
compiled from the
National Weather Service
River Forecast Centers and CoCoRaHS. It should be noted that
one-quarter of the rainfall at Apalachicola,
Florida occurred due to non-related thunderstorms moving across the
town early on the 16th.